Would you know your dog 8 months later?

I have a sticky situation that I would like some opinions on. My wife tells me to let it go, but I'm having a really hard time doing this. We moved out into to country back in September. We have ten acres and our Chocolate Lab loved having free roam of her new home. The dog would play with the other dogs out here but she would come home every night for the most part. The neighbors down the road are dog lovers to say the least. They own over 25 dogs. Some are in pens outside, some live inside....they have all kinds of dogs. Anyway they loved my Lab very much. It would go down to visit them and there other dogs on a regular basis. I found out something I found very odd was they were taking MY dog to work with them. I don't know how often but I think that's really weird.

Now last Sunday I'm leaving in my car and I see what I think is my dog coming down the street to me. I call her and she runs right to me and get's into my car. It's been since Thanksgiving when we last saw our dog. This dog responds to her name. Looks just like her, has all the mannerisms my dog had. My mother who would look over the dog while we were out of town had a special bond with her. My mother came over and the dog went crazy when she saw her. Everyone that knew this dog believe it's ours and in my heart I believe it's mine. I'm thinking these people stole my dog. I come to find out they just happened to lose a dog of there's a chocolate lab.:confused2: I kept the dog for two days and even took it to my vet to see if he could tell. My dog would have been 3 years old in Oct. They claimed there dog was five years old. The vet couldn't tell but looking at her teeth he would have guessed around three. It's could be five years old but the teeth are usually a little more worn. My dog had a slight limp on her right shoulder, that when she ran a lot she would limp. The vet had taken x rays of my dog when this occured and told to give her medicine and keep her from running too much. This dog didn't limp, but has been kept inside there home.

I really can't believe these people would steal my dog but I can't help but think they did. I know labs are very friendly "people" dogs. But would a dog you never seen before run to you when called? Would a dog that's not your's be perfectly calm in your home, and lay in the same chair my dog always slept in? Why does everyone believe in their heart that this is our dog. I couldn't prove it's mine and returned "their" dog back to them the other day. I've been thinking of calling them and asking the name of their Vet. If their dog is five years old they should have records going back that far right? They have only know my dog since I moved out there in Sept. These are pretty upstanding people in the community also. The city manager of my town and the other one is worth millions and well known in the community. I personally want to walk over there and take my dog and press charges.

One thing I wish I'd done when found out that they had taken my dog to work with them is to put a "chip" into the dog. I think it's only 40.00 and would have proven that this was mine. Shelter's use this also and can scan your dog when your dog becomes lost. I wish I'd done that now. What are your thoughts.

Tough situation but I think that you probably hurt yourself by returning "their lost dog" to them without some sort of questions on your part as to the dogs rightful ownership.

I am not saying all is lost at all but if your vet cannot back you up with some sort of records proving its your animal then it is basically your word against theirs. From a legal standpoint not sure you could even "REQUIRE" them to produce vet records as the burdon of proof would be on you to "PROVE" it was your animal from a legal standpoint.

Also you state you are new in the area and these people are long time upstanding citizens in the community so that puts you at a disadvantage as well. May be better off to just let it go and get you another dog and have it chipped or a tattoo for identification as you do not want to turn the community folks against you if you plan on staying there.

I'd just go talk to them and tell them your wife and mother in-law are driving you crazy and you want to put it to rest. Ask if they would please show some vet records etc to get you out of the "dog house" to show to your wife.

Any fellow guy could relate to that. If they refuse then maybe I'd rethink it.

Brother, I feel for you. The pack mentality of a dog is a hard thing to break as the dog gets older. They associate with the pack and it becomes their family. Our lab mix is so old and set in its ways, it will not eat until after we do, and then only if Catfish, (the wife) or her mother feeds him. Strong bonds. This is a hard call to make and I wish I could help. Hershey is part of our family and I do not know what I would do in the same situation. Let God guide you on this for no matter how close you are to the dog, to you he is family, to the state it is just property. I am going to subscribe to this thread, so please keep us posted. Ronnie

That's what I think too. Never had a dog that I wouldn't recognize or, more significantly, wouldn't recognize me 8 months later.

I did have a litter of pups once that I gave away, and one of them in particular didn't like me much the next time I saw her. I'm like 'hey knucklehead, I fed you with a bottle, what gives???' She knew we weren't family anymore I guess. Don't know if adult dogs go through that though. I find it odd that the dog came to her name, and settled right in to family life in your home...IF it weren't your dog. I wouldn't have given her back without some solid of proof.

Don't know what I would do in your shoes. That really bites. If ya get another dog, ya might consider teaching it, or preventing it from wandering off.

Yep, retrievers are very friendly dogs. As a matter of fact, almost all canines are if they're socialized.

When I first read your post, I was thinking.....YEP, that's Chris's dog.

Then I started thinking back, to the past. My oldest golden retriever disappeared when she was 16 months. I was distraught....she's a wonderful dog. A couple of weeks went by, and a friend of mine saw an ad in the paper and called me. Thankfully the folks who had "found" her cared enough to advertise, try to find her real home. Blossom had followed a l'il boy on a bicycle home, across the highway......it's not a BIG highway really, but it was my own fault. I DO live in the city limits. Sometimes I let them out to run though, because I think I live far enough down in the holler that they'll stay here, or close by.

It's difficult for me to believe she would come to you straight away, and get into your vehicle if she didn't KNOW you....but, that seems to be how Rusty, our collie, disappeared when I was very small. My grandmother had seen someone calling him down at the end of our dirt road previously (few days before), and then he was GONE.

I think the key thing to ME - that you said in your post Chris, was how she reacted to your mother. I WOULD like to ask though, how was your mom acting? Like I said, if the dog has always been around people (socialized, meant with humans), and perhaps some of them were all excited and happy, different tone of voice, etc......

Just a few thoughts. I'm not THERE, but my instinct (and yours, and your family's) is that that is y'all's dog. I tend to agree with you.

i have my dogs microchiped. they do it for $15 at the rabies clinic. whatever happens if ya get it back or another do it. then one swipe and its confirmed legaly. no court would dispute an id chip. its like a permemant serial #.

Thanks to everyone that replyed. I'm 99.9 &#37; sure this is my dog but... there dog came up missing and I really can't prove it's mine. The vet couldn't tell for sure yes or no, and yes labs are very friendly and they can look alike. I just still find it hard to believe a dog would come to me and get into my car when called. Seem prefectly at home in my house, react to my mother that way and seem to have all the mannerisms of my dog.

When I took the dog back the wife and wife of the house they were not at home instead a friend of their's was at the home. I let the dog out of my car and she was greatful and had tears in her eye's to see the dog returned. I had plenty of other questions but I couldn't barely speak a word. I was so mad thinking they had stolen my dog, blood was about to shoot out my eye's. The best thing for me was to leave so that's what I did. The only other thing I'm thinking about doing is asking for thier vet records and see if they will do that. If they have records of their dog past eight months then it's their's I guess.

I bet the day you found him on the road he was headed home. He done got out.

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That's exactly what I think. They love dogs that's for sure, and I always thought it very strange they took MY dog to work with them. Who does that sort of thing? My dog had a slight limp that would be aggravated by running too much and I think they thought "these people are not taking care of thier dog so WE will". Living out in the country dogs are taken, shot, hit by cars ect but I always suspected them of taking my dog. When their's showed up missing and this dog responded to me this way...how is a person not to think they stole my dog? I felt in my heart that this my my dog but there's that slightest chance is wasn't....so I did what I thought was the right thing and return "their" lost dog.

You are a better man then me.
I cant cope with a thief. I become terroristic.:smile2:
Deer pee in AC duct concrete in plumbing vent pipes.
You get the picture.
Keep em too busy fixing so they aint got time to steal.:wink:

If your dog has been gone 8 months and they've had him I would imagine they are calling him their dog.

What I think is that their missing dog and your missing dog is the same dog.
Vet say 3 and they say 5. I'd get my dog.

They knew who's dog that was to start with. That dog didnt just not come home he was prevented from coming home.:angry:
I bet the day you found him on the road he was headed home. He done got out.

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I feel the same on this !!!

After putting more thought into this I became more aware of my own dogs habits. What I mean is, if I couldn't tell by looking at the dog alone, certain phrases would surly work. All I would have to say to my dog is " Go Fish " and he freaks out. I doubt many other dogs would do that. If I say go get your leash....he goes and gets his leash.

I would try saying certain phrases he would only know. One like " wanna go for a ride " obviously would be to common to use but every owner knows at least one phrase that only their dog could know.

had a lot of dogs over the years,and it doesn't take long to know a dogs inner makings, how it eats, how it lays down and even hows it pees, being you had the dog for its the first 2 years of its life you must of had trained it to do something by command that nobody one else would use the same command and get the same reaction, most all of my dogs will "give me 5" and that's a high 5 slap of pad of paw to my flat hand, not a lot of a chance for some one else's dog to doing that for me. and when my dogs are getting out of the the water it's no shake a few times until i get away from the dog and then its shake it up before they shake the water off and then its a big shake, if a person were to do these type of things with the dog in front of the right authority's, it just mite solve the problem :wink:

I have 4 dogs now, I dont need a micro chip for any except Freeway, who we found wondering down the interstate, with a big dog bite on him, he is an old poodle, ran ads in the newpapers to try and find his owner. I think someone kicked him out on the freeway.

I do a simple thing. All I do is teach my dog tricks. Anything from the simple roll over to the shooting trick where they fall over on their side. If I think it was my dog, all I have to do is ask what trick the dogs know. Then when you do the old smoking finger trick on a dog and they flop over on their side......bingo......no more problem.

I have taught a wide variety of tricks to my dogs, I "ruined" my brother-in-laws dog or so he says. I taught him to roll over in 20 minutes, my brother in law came and got him. The first thing he did when he called his name the dog rolled over......(This was the dumbest dog, I have ever tried to train). No matter what I did, all he got thru his head was roll over. No fault of mine, he should have bought a smarter dog, spending 1500 on a dog, doesnt mean it is smart.....as I can prove. My mutt does about 8 tricks, cost me 40 dollars from the pound. I told my brother in law he should take the dog back, and get a refund.......lol

I learned about other peoples dogs the hard way. We were living in a small town, and my wife called me at work, and told me she had picked up to fuzzy little dogs, cant remember the name of them out of the middle of the street, busy street, almost caused 2 accidents. They had a dog tag on them, so my wife called the vet where they were vacinated. The vet wouldnt give my wife the number to the people who owned the dogs. So my wife asked the Vet to call them to please come and pick up their dogs, we figured that they had gotten out of a pen or something, because they werent the old city dogs, who look and see cars coming and stops.

Well to make a long story short, this older lady and I guess her son, came and told us who they were, the little dogs ran out to them and were happy to see them. Then the old bitty starts accusing my wife of stealing her dogs. Needless to say, that set me off pretty good. I am not going to tell you word for word what I told the old lady, it probably would make you blush. But I did tell her, next time they got loose in the street she could pick them up with a spatula for all I cared. About 3 months later one was run over in the same spot my wife got them the first time.

I learned a valuable lesson that day about other peoples pets. Lately we did aquire a dog, he was an older poodle, who was on the interstate, and had a large dog bite that was infected. We again ran ads in the paper, and had to take the dog to the vet. This time, the ad read, "Black poodle found at such and such place, pay for ad and vet bill" We only had one caller on the ad, and I think it was the real owner, she came in and played with the dog for a few minutes, and decided it wasnt hers. I talked to the wife in private and told her to tell the lady is she wanted the dog she could have it, free of charge, she declined, dont know why. I figured even if it wasnt her dog, she had lost a poodle, and would give it a good home?

If you could get DNA from your dogs parents a sample could then be taken from your dog and parentage can be proven. So my suggestion would be to contact the people who bred your dog and get that DNA sample and then ask your neighbors for a sample from the dog you think is yours, you can get a sample by using a clean Q-tip and scrape the inside of the dogs lip, no blood has to be drawn.

Well I have a little more news on this story. I really believe that this was my dog but didn't have anyway to prove it. Labs are very friendly dogs and they can look alike but in my heart I knew this was my dog...just couldn't prove it. This was a couple months ago, yesterday "their" dog got lose again and guess what house he came back to. My son was in the driveway and the dog came right up to him. I still think this is my dog and wanted to see about one more thing to help prove my point. When I use to take my dog for walks by our old house she got her foot trapped in a gutter as a pup. Everytime I'd take my dog for a walk whenever the dog saw the gutter she would stop in her tracks and I would have to drag her around the gutter. She remembered that the gutter hurt her and avoided it at all costs. I took their dog back to my old home and the dog freaked out when I walked her by the gutter.:angry:.

I came back home and within 15 minutes the "owners" were at my house demanding their dog back. Funny how they accused me of taking their dog when it came to my house. Well I had a nice yelling and shouting match with them and was about to lose it. This is my dog dammit!!!!! They calim their not leaving until they get the dog back and are calling the police. I told them to go ahead and call. Meanwhile we have company over and in order not too make a scene with them over I demanded vet records. I gave them the dog back but they need to prove how long they have owned this dog. Vet records will prove this. If they do have records going back more than a year than it's thier's but I don't believe so. I found out that we both have the same Vet. I stopped by the vet's office today to talk with the vet again to get the records of this dog but my vet's on vacation until Tuesday. Guess I'll have to wait a few more days to find out for sure. I'm either going to be the biggest fool or have my dog back and their name run through the mud. I guess that's bad of me to think this way but I'm so pissed right now...blood is shooting out my eyes.